Power to the people

• Q: I am in my final year of geography (honours) and would like to do a postgraduate degree or diploma level course in population studies. Could you inform me of courses and of job prospects?

Hemant Suri

• A: With global population growth having reached dangerous levels, population studies has gained increasing significance. Specialisation in this field offers opportunities to work with international aid agencies like the United Nations Population Fund, the United States Agency for International Development, the Population Council, the Ford Foundation and CARE on various surveys and research projects. Central government offices like the Census Office, the office of the registrar general of India, the Census Commission and the ministry of family welfare also employ specialists in population studies as do some non governmental organisations and professional bodies such as the Indian Association of Population Studies.

You could do your masters in population studies at the International Institute of Population Sciences, Govandi Station Road, Deonar, Mumbai-400088 (the masters is also available through distance learning); the Annamalai University, P.O. Annamalainagar-608002; Bharathiar University, Maruthamalai Road, Coimbatore-641046; and the Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati-517502.

You could also opt for the MPhil programme in population science at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. You should have a masters degree in geography to apply for admission. The course covers fields like human settlement, methodology, morality, urbanisation, census and vital statistics. Universities such as Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak (Haryana), University of Madras, University of Burdwan, Punjab University, Chandigarh and the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, also offer postgraduate diploma courses in the subject.

Get rich as a lawyer in the UK

• Q: I’m a lawyer. I want to know if there are opportunities for Indian lawyers abroad, particularly in the UK. What sort of remuneration do they get?

Yatin Mallik

• A: Of late, global law firms have been recruiting lawyers from India in a big way. The so-called Magic Circle, a league of the top six coveted law firms in London, are now competing for the best recruits from India at the graduate and “lateral” entry levels. Clifford Chance and Linklaters hired 60 graduates from the National Law School of India University in Bangalore and the National University of Juridical Sciences in Calcutta this season. Some of these firms pay new recruits in the region of £65,000 annually, excluding bonuses. Transactional lawyers with experience in capital markets, corporate law, finance, funds and projects are the most sought-after.

Do publicity without putting your foot in your mouth

• Q: I’d like to do a masters in public relations or advertising. Which institutes offer such courses? Is work experience needed?

Suparna Sehgal

• A: Public relations (PR) professionals work in PR firms, advertising agencies, large business houses, non-profit organisations, media and entertainment companies, hotels, tourism, hospitals, MNCs (in corporate communication), lobbies and pressure groups. You need good communication skills to get your foot in the door.

Almost every ministry in the government has an information / liaison officer to handle press relations and public relations. All public sector enterprises, government information departments, trade fair authorities and banks and financial institutions employ PR officers and corporate communication professionals.

The travel and hospitality industry also hires publicity officers. Most hotels hire guest-relations officers. The pay is good.

The work will range from researching and creating content to media relations and business development. With sufficient experience in hand, you can also start your own PR consulting service.

Typically, for pursuing a postgraduate diploma course in advertising and PR, work experience is not mandatory.

Some of the leading institutes in India are:

• Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi (www.iimc.nic.in)

• Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai (www.nmims.edu)

• Mudra Institute of Communication, Ahmedabad (www.mica-india. net)

• Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication, Pune (www.simc. edu)

• Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai (www.xaviercom m.org/courses) nMakhanlal Chaturvedi Rashtriya Patrakarita Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal (www.mcu.ac.in).

Besides these, Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Young Men’s Christian Association and Young Women’s Christian Association centres all over the country offer courses in PR and advertising.